From Our Special Correspondent

Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Sep 13: Congress Opposition leader Siddaramaiah took the State Government to task for not implementing the expert committee’s action plan report on climate change and said climate change was mainly responsible for excess rainfall and extensive damage to agricultural/horticultural crops and public properties in Karnataka.

Initiating a debate on the rain havoc and crop damage in the State in the South-West monsoon in the Assembly on Tuesday, he said the State government did not take action on the report on climate change prepared by Environmental Management and Policy Research Institute (EMPRI), nodal agency of the government.

Karnataka State Action Plan on Climate Change (2021) prepared by EMPRI predicted climate change and change in rainfall pattern in the State. But the government slept on the report without initiating any action, he said.

Quoting the key findings of report, the former Chief Minister said climate change experts predicted fall in productivity of paddy by 5.6%, ragi by 12%, groundnut by 19%, soybean by 28.6% while growth in output of cotton by 55%, maize by 24.5%, and sugarcane by 6.1%.

He said drought-prone areas such as Tumakuru, Ramangaram, and Kolar received twice the normal rainfall. While Ramangaram received 1090 mm against 465 mm rains as on September 6. Similarly, Tumakuru received 1004 mm rainfall against the normal rainfall of 350 mm.

The government must take steps to protect the environment and prevent disasters due to climate change, he said.